September 20, 2016

It’s been more than a year and a half since a team of Texas Children’s surgeons and medical staff separated conjoined twins Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata in an historic, more than 24-hour-long procedure. Since then, the girls – now 2 years old and living at home near Lubbock – have worked hard with various types of therapists, medical experts and on their own to recover from the monumental surgery.

During a recent visit to Texas Children’s Hospital, physicians and medical personnel got an up-close look at just how far the girls have come. When a nurse in pulmonologist Dr. Fadel Ruiz’s office weighed the girls, they walked up to the scale and hopped on. When the nurse bent over to take their blood pressure, they sat on the exam table and reached for her stethoscope like it was a toy. And, while the girls were waiting for Dr. Ruiz to enter the room, they, like most toddlers, ran around, chattered and begged for snacks.

“They are growing and reaching milestones every day,” the twins’ mother Elysse Mata said. “It’s non-stop around our house. We aren’t getting much sleep but that’s OK.”

The girls’ father, Eric Mata, said watching his girls grow and get stronger every day feels good and that he sometimes has to stop and think just how far they have come. “It’s amazing really,” he said. “I never imagined our lives would be like they are today.”

Dr. Darrell Cass, one of the lead surgeons in the separation case and co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center, said Knatalye and Adeline are doing “awesome!” He said Adeline is slowly being weaned off of her ventilator and G-tube, devices she only uses occasionally versus all the time after the separation. The toddler’s pelvis is healing well and her lungs are continuing to grow and become stronger, progress Cass said will help her walk, talk and eat even better than she is now.

Knatalye’s breathing is so good Cass said cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Dean McKenzie recently removed a metal plate from her chest and closed her sternum, a procedure they were waiting to do following sufficient lung strength and growth. Like her sister, Knatalye is being weaned from the G-tube and is learning to eat on her own. She is walking well, Cass said, but her pelvis is still a bit separated, something she might have to get more work done on in the future.

“I’ve always said the girls will walk into kindergarten one day together and I definitely think that will still be true,” Cass said.

View a series of photos from the Mata’s visit below.

92016chroniclenewbornad250Texas Children’s is the honored sponsor for every Tuesday’s “Houston Legends” series. We will showcase the legendary care Texas Children’s has provided since 1954, and focus on milestone moments in our unique history. Also, a complementary website offers a more detailed look at our past, our story and our breakthroughs.

On the right is the Texas Children’s ad that is featured in this week’s Chronicle. Click the ad to visit our companion website at texaschildrens.org/legendarycare. The website will change weekly to complement the newspaper ad, which will be published in section A of the Chronicle on Tuesdays for the next several weeks. We also will spotlight this special feature weekly on Connect, so stay tuned to learn and share our rich history.

92116languageservices640For non-English speaking families like Argelia Diaz, she knows that when she comes to Texas Children’s, she can always count on a Spanish-speaking interpreter to help her communicate with her daughter’s medical team.

“I don’t know what I would do without them,” Diaz said through her interpreter. “They give us all the information that the providers want to tell us and help break down the medical terms for us. They are very kind and are always there whenever we need them.”

As an internationally recognized referral center, Texas Children’s cares for many international patients including those here at home who do not speak English. These patient families rely solely on the skills and expertise of Texas Children’s Language Services Department to bridge the communication barrier.

“Language barriers have the potential to adversely impact patient care and outcomes,” said Language Services Manager Alma Sanchez. “Issues like misdiagnosis, lack of compliance, medical errors and readmissions can all be further compounded when a patient has limited English proficiency. Communicating with them in their preferred language ensures everyone is on the same page regarding the care and treatment of the patient.”

Being an interpreter at Texas Children’s is more than just speaking a foreign language fluently. As the primary liaison between the physician and patient, interpreters ensure accurate and seamless communication is delivered to both parties during every phase of the health care process. Specially trained in diverse areas including medical terminology, modes and standards of interpretation, standards of ethics and intercultural communication, interpreters also serve as a cultural broker in the communication of information since there are many factors that may impede a patient or family’s clear understanding of a medical diagnosis or treatment plan.

“While speaking in the family’s native language, we explain their child’s diagnosis and ensure they understand all of the instructions provided by their care team,” said Violeta Riccio, project analyst at Language Services. “We also help the providers understand the patient’s concerns or questions in order to resolve any potential issues.”

On average, the Language Services Department receives 12,000 language requests per month – 4,000 are in-person interpretations, 7,000 are telephonic and 1,000 are through a mobile video system called My Accessible Real Time Trusted Interpreter (MARTTI) where an external interpreter can be contacted via live video. These capabilities enable Texas Children’s to provide interpretations in about 170 different languages.

To meet the growing demand for this service, Texas Children’s has 28 interpreters dispersed across several campuses – 17 at Texas Children’s Main Campus, five at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, four at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and two interpreters at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. Spanish is the most requested language for interpretation followed by Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese-Mandarin.

Just like our patient families, Texas Children’s health care teams benefit greatly from this service too.

“Having an interpreter physically present is crucial to effective communication particularly in stressful situations when children are undergoing procedures or when critical information is being conveyed,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, chief of plastic surgery at Texas Children’s. “Having an onsite interpreter in the ambulatory surgery area has been transformative in terms of family satisfaction and the efficient and safe flow of children through the area.”

To learn more about Language Services, drop by their office located on the third floor of West Tower across from the gift shop. Click here to watch a video spotlighting a day in the life of interpreters at Texas Children’s.

92116laceup4life640On September 9, Texas Children’s Hospital hosted the fourth annual Lace Up 4 Life inpatient walk in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Patients and staff on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit participated in the walk on the inpatient and outpatient floor to raise awareness for Be The Match®, the largest and most diverse bone marrow registry in the world.

Patients on the unit are immunocompromised and were able to participate in the walk in a way that is safe as they undergo treatment. Each year, thousands of children are diagnosed with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma, sickle cell anemia or other life-threatening diseases. Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on Be The Match® Registry to find a match to save their life.

With a rotating disco ball projecting an array of bright colors on the walls of the unit, the Bone Marrow Transplant staff pumped up the crowd with high energy music while patient families and staff waved flags and cheered on our courageous patients as they crossed the finish line.

The inpatient walk preceded the first annual Lace Up 4 Life Walk/Run in Sugar Land on September 10 where Bone Marrow Transplant staff, patients and their families teamed up to represent Texas Children’s Hospital.

Texas Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant team dubbed “Team Transplantors” raised funds to support the Gulf Coast Marrow Donor Program and to raise awareness about childhood cancer. The donations will support patients who need a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant to find a donor and receive treatment.

One of the most touching moments at the event was when a patient who underwent a bone marrow transplant at Texas Children’s met her bone marrow donor for the first time. Click here to watch the ABC-13 video. (It is the second video in the link.)

September 13, 2016

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers is the largest cancer and blood disorder center in the country. Patients from all over the world come here to receive their care because they know this is the best possible place they could be.

When Carrie Richardson’s daughter, Peyton, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in January 2015, she knew from the moment she arrived at Texas Children’s, her daughter would be cared for by an incredible team of amazing nurses and oncologists that any parent of a sick child could ever hope for.

“Peyton has been cared for in the most empathetic, loving and encouraging way possible,” Richardson said. “The oncologists and their team of nurse practitioners work together so seamlessly because they are working together with the best intentions for each child undergoing treatment. The comfort that Dr. Dreyer gives Peyton reassures her that every treatment she receives is one step closer to ringing the golden bell on the 14th floor of the Cancer Center.”

Ranked no. 2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Texas Children’s Cancer Center comprises a multidisciplinary team of dedicated and compassionate physicians, nurses, child life specialists, social workers and other subspecialists who care for the physical, emotional and psychosocial needs of young patients.

“A diagnosis of a child with a pediatric cancer affects the entire family,” said Aisha Jones, a social worker at the Cancer Center. “It’s our job to help families to cope, to provide resources, to be there to help them problem solve and just to be a support system throughout the course of treatment and thereafter.”

Besides providing world-class, comprehensive patient care, our oncologists are leading the way in advancing pediatric cancer research. The Cancer Center has 42 laboratories and nearly 400 people who are engaged in research to help revolutionize cutting-edge therapies for treating and ultimately curing all childhood cancers.

“We’re looking at different ways to develop therapies through nanotechnologies, cellular therapies, immune-based therapies that are really cutting edge and helping us to move the field forward,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center. “We are looking for the best cures with the least toxicities.”

Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center, applauds the remarkable progress that has been made in the cure of childhood cancers.

“More than 30 years ago, we were curing 20 percent of kids with cancer and losing 80 percent,” Poplack said. “Now, we are curing over 80 percent of cancer and losing less than 20 percent, which is an incredible statistic and a reflection of the remarkable success we’ve achieved.”

Poplack says the majority of children with cancer in this world aren’t in the United States or North America. They are in the developing countries throughout the world like in sub-Saharan Africa where Texas Children’s is growing a global oncology program in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda and a hematology program in Angola to treat children with sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disorder.

“We are building a unique program in sub-Saharan Africa so that we can bring knowledgeable physicians there to teach their physicians how to properly treat children with cancer,” said Dr. Parth Mehta, director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s Global Oncology Program. “Today in Botswana, we have an overall survival rate from pediatric cancer approaching 60 percent, which is unheard of in that region of the world.”

While major milestones have been reached in the field of pediatric oncology, Poplack says he and his team will continue to strive to reach their ultimate goal.

“We want to cure every child with cancer,” Poplack said. “Our job is not done until we cure 100 percent of kids and until we’re able to prevent these diseases.”

For Peyton’s mom, she knows that with each treatment, her daughter will be one step closer to ringing that golden bell. Peyton is in active treatment of her leukemia until 2017 but is doing exceptionally well and recently returned to school full time as a ninth grader. Her parents are grateful for her team of doctors at Texas Children’s.

“It takes a special person to care for children with cancer and the halls of the Cancer Center are filled with the most special people in this world,” Richardson said. “To know each nurse and each doctor is to love each of them like they are family.”

91416texans640To celebrate their first game of the season against the Chicago Bears, the Houston Texans hosted a party Friday for patients and families at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Held in the Child Life Zone on the 16th floor of West Tower, the party was filled with all sorts of fun, including sports-themed arts and crafts, goodie giveaways and visits from Texans cheerleaders Natalie and Taylor, and Texans ambassadors J.J. Moses and Eric Brown.

“This is amazing,” 11-year-old Alejandro Montelongo said as he walked into the room filled with activity. “I’ve never met an actual Texans player before.”

Sandwiched between Brown and Moses, Alejandro grinned for a photographer and proceeded to get the former football players’ autographs before moving on to the arts and crafts table where he made a sports wreath and a paper Texans football helmet.

Justin Mangham meanwhile threw on a pair of Texans socks that were part of the goodies offered at the event and waited patiently to get a photograph with Brown, Moses and the Texans cheerleaders. Mangham got a photo and an autograph from the players, something he hasn’t let out of his sight since.

When asked to describe the season kickoff event, Justin enthusiastically yelled, “Great!”

Texans Cheerleader Natalie said the event was her second on behalf of the team at Texas Children’s Hospital and that she too thought it was great.

“It is so good to be back,” Natalie said in between squeezing babies’ cheeks and doing whatever she can to get a laugh out of them. “I love putting a smile on the faces of these kids.”

The Texans had a reason to smile on Sunday after defeating the Bears 23 to 14. The team’s next game is at noon Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

91416makingamark640Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s Making a Mark art exhibition is showing on The Auxiliary Bridge until Friday, October 7. Sponsored by the Periwinkle Foundation, this exhibit showcases art created by children ages 3 to 22 who have been affected by cancer and blood disorders. This exhibit will travel to seven other Texas locations.

A panel of judges selected purple ribbon pieces of art they felt most effectively represented Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.